Take Community Property and Vacant Land Out of the NYC Tax Lien Sale

On May 12, 2017, the City of New York is poised to give private speculative investors leverage over hundreds of properties in all five boroughs via the Department of Finance Tax Lien Sale.

By selling the right to collect unpaid taxes on community gardens, churches, day care centers and other key places owned by community-based charity organizations, the City puts all these places at risk of foreclosure by the private debt collectors and the transformation of these key institutions into private residential development.

By selling that right for vacant lots in the same transaction, the City gives up its power over the future of our neighborhoods and transforms unpaid property taxes into a “private” debt to be enforced by private debt collectors.

In response to advocacy, the Department of Finance created this list of tax-exempt parcels heading to the May 12 sale. We, the undersigned, urge you to use this list to take all properties owned by Not-for-Profit Corporations and other charitable institutions entitled to be free from paying property tax under the New York State Constitution out of next week's tax lien sale.

In addition, the Department of Finance created this list of vacant properties heading to the sale. We, the undersigned, urge you to use this list to remove all vacant lots from next week's tax lien sale. Allowing private debt to compound the pains of neighborhoods that have been abandoned by absentee property owners will not lead to responsible development of gardens, community centers and housing. The City's retaining leverage over these properties is key for NYC communities.